Organization XIII Week: Real Somebodies and Serious Nobodies Part VI

The members of Organization 13 were not only a set of some of the most villainous characters to be found in the Kingdom Hearts series, but by far some of the most interesting. Being a set of 13 individual “nobodies” each seeking knowledge, power, and hearts in an attempt to become a whole being or, for some, the ultimate being, it was intriguing to watch these Nobodies without hearts blossom into their fake personalities. However, there were some nobodies who were just that–nobodies. And then there were some nobodies who did everything but live up to that title. Starting from 1 to 13, including that 14th unofficial member, I’m going to analyze each Organization member’s relevance not just within the Organization, but within the Kingdom Hearts series as a whole. Also, I’ll explore the odds that we will be seeing their “somebodies” in the future.

Roxas: The Anti-Nobody

Roxas was, in large part, responsible for the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. For a character who held such significance in propelling the story forward, Nomura no doubt has plans for him.

The thirteenth member and everyone’s favorite, Roxas is unique in every way, shape and form due to his human-like emotions and his nonexistent resemblance to Sora. His personality, although at times similar, is also far different than his real self. All of this builds up to the question: Is Roxas really a Nobody?

Tetsuya Nomura revealed the answer to this question in the Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Roxas actually did have a heart–Ventus’ heart. Ventus’ heart had been at rest within Sora for over 10 years, until Sora was turned into a Heartless to save Kairi. Sora was able to regain his body even though he never recovered his Nobody. As a result, Roxas was born and he was free to exist without anyone thinking to look for him. He had no memories of Sora and no memories of Ven. With no memory and a seemingly zombie-like personality, as some other members stated, the Organization members, mainly Axel, shaped Roxas into the character he was.

As Birth by Sleep has shown us, Roxas has a strong connection to Ventus. One has to wonder if he really belongs to Sora or if he’s just waiting for Ventus’ body to show up?

Roxas is the main reason for the formation of Kingdom Hearts, as for over a year he willingly collected hearts to help create it. However, the more time passed the more questions Roxas wanted answered, as he began to see Sora’s life and wanted to know why he could command the Keyblade. Because these flashbacks of Sora didn’t really strike a chord with Roxas–they don’t even help Roxas remember being a Somebody–it’s obvious that Ven’s heart only sits within Sora and does not have any significant influence on Sora’s life whatsoever. This could explain why Roxas could never remember his life as Sora because he truly was not really part of Sora’s life. With Ven’s body still lost somewhere in Castle Oblivion, Roxas had no other choice but to go back to his temporary home in Sora. Maybe even Xemnas knew of Roxas’ connection to Ven which is why he searched for the Chamber of Awakening and desperately wanted Roxas to be brought back.

It is very apparent that Ven’s heart is healed and is ready to go back to where it belongs, as all through Kingdom Hearts 2 he continued to try and be seen and heard while reunited with Sora. At the end of the day we will continue to see Roxas as long as he is a part of Sora. When his heart finally returns to the body of Ventus, Roxas can finally receive the answers to his questions.

Xion: The Replica

Xion was easily the most complex character of the series. Unfortunately, her existence was a brief one and she was very much forgotten in the end. Considering she never had a heart of her own, it would take an even more complex explanation for her to ever return.

Again, before I start, I must say despite her popularity, this “nobody” is my least favorite because of the deep depression she put me in. Xion was the unofficial 14th member of the Organization, mainly because she wasn’t a Nobody at all. An interesting character for sure, Xion was the driving factor of 358/2 Days and was part of the reason we have Kingdom Hearts 2 considering she is the reason Roxas left the Organization and was subsequently captured by Riku and Ansem the Wise. Although valued within the Organization because she collected hearts, Xion wasn’t cared for or respected by many of the members. Saix, for example, never acknowledged her as a girl, but as an “it,” and Xigbar referred to her only as a “puppet.” It was never explicitly displayed how the other members perceived her, but it’s obvious they never got to know her because when they looked at her all they saw was a hooded girl. She was simply a replica. No different than the Riku Replica of Chain of Memories who thought he was something real, only to realize he could be real only if the real person he was a copy of was eliminated.

Despite the Organization’s personal feeling–or lack thereof–toward her, Xion was an important character and a fan favorite. She was the bridge between Roxas and Sora, and she had to allow herself to fall into place in order for Sora to eventually become whole again. Who would have thought that our best friend would be our worst enemy? A tragedy indeed, Xion sacrificed herself for Roxas’ sake and the worst part about it all is that nobody, not even Roxas, Axel, or Riku, remembered her in the end. How insulting that such a huge character in the end is meant to be forgotten–literally! Nomura has mentioned that although Xion was a huge hit, her character would not be returning. How could she? She never had a heart to lose, thus she also does not have one to gain.

Xion, the ultimate replica. Her appearance wasn’t as definite as Riku Replica’s was. It truly exemplifies her role as a puppet--even her appearance is controlled by those around her.

Remember how, in Riku’s story of Chain of Memories, after Riku defeats his replica for the millionth time and the Riku replica asks where his heart will go (a replica’s heart) and Riku responds by saying probably the same place as his own? The Riku replica responded with, “A replica ’til the very end,” meaning he is meant to mimic Riku forever. The same goes for Xion and Sora. She cannot coexist with Sora as she is Sora’s replica, destined to either be his shadow or to absorb him to become the real him. And unless Nomura wants to take a page out of Pinocchio and give this doll a heart (and make her a real girl!), Xion has left the building. Even though we have seen clips of her in a few secret endings, she will not be returning. If anything, you can say that Xion is really a physical representation of Sora’s memories. That in itself will guarantee she carries on forever.

There you have it! All of the members broken down from their role in the Organization, to their role within the series from every source, and an evaluated assumption on whether or not their Somebody will appear in future installments. Truth be told, Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned that the lower level members of the Organization’s stories have yet to be revealed and I’m sure he intends to tell us who they really were. And considering that the upper members were all working with Xehanort, I wouldn’t be surprised if they all made an appearance within the final Kingdom Hearts game so Ansem the Wise can finally confront them. So although all the members were taken out, we will surely see many of again. Looking forward to it!

Thanks for tuning in for our Organization special! What did you think of Cloudy’s assessment of the Organization? Are there any particular members you would like to see again or some you would not want to re-visit? Give us your thoughts and leave a comment!

A normal resident on the KHU forums, Cloudy is a big fan of Final Fantasy 7 and its related games. Incidentally, she and her identical twin sister are both authors of this article and spend quite a bit of time discussing the intricacies of Kingdom Hearts (perhaps being twins help them relate to Roxas and Ventus a little deeper…). With the bubble of ideas Cloudy and her sister has, readers can expect to see more of their work in the future.

Xion is my favourite KH-Character. She made 358/2 Days to the Kingdom Hearts-game with the deepest story of them all. How did you come to the idea, she won’t return? I’m sure of it… it’s quite obvious that she, Roxas and Axel will have again a greater role in the future of the series. Maybe not a main role, but they will definetely be important.

Excellently written series! It’s awesome there are people about there willing to do in depth character analyses on video game characters. I will admit, however, there are parts I don’t agree with. …This kinda got long. Sorry about that, I’ve never been one to be concise. ^^;;;;;;

On Roxas: “…nonexistent resemblance to Sora.” Funny, considering all the hype over the old “BHK,” including from Nomura himself, was that Roxas did look a lot like Sora. It’s strange now that Nomura addresses how different he looks. Still, in canon Xemnas states to Roxas about Sora, “He looks a lot like you.”

Frankly, I’d like to see Namine’s appearance addressed.

Xion

Xion? Popular? I hear her bashed all the time with false accusations that she’s a Mary Sue. (In contrast, as tragic as her story is, I love the character and have cosplayed as her many times.)

Actually, Xigbar referred to her as not as “puppet,” but as “poppet,” meaning either doll (puppet) OR a small girl, (likely he acknowledged that she was at least female). Clever word usage. He also saw her later as Ventus, which emphasizes that some part of Ven had at that point reached her.

And though it’s unlikely she has a heart, it IS possible. It fully depends on how she was created. It was inferred that the Riku Replica did have a heart (and outright believed by him). If the Riku Replica had a heart, why not her? At the same time, one of the secret reports asks if replicas should be considered a special class of Nobodies, yet the Riku Replica may have had a heart. If the Riku Replica did indeed have an artificial heart, then she may have a false one as well. She, like Roxas (who it seems was carrying a heart) started off with no memories and a zombie-like personality. Thus, she was an individual who was modeled after someone actually carrying a heart – Ventus’s.

…And then to quote Riku in Kingdom Hearts, “Not many puppets have hearts.” Pinocchio she may just become, as you stated. It would also be an excellent throwback to the original game.

Just because the Riku Replica was a “replica until the end” does not mean Xion would be. Remember, the Riku Replica embraced darkness, relied on it, and found it thrilling. After Kingdom Hearts, the real Riku never fully did again, using it but also guarding himself from going down that same path again. His replica failed to do that. The Riku Replica even tried to become someone else, though he went about doing so poorly. Xion had her own identity separate from Sora and Roxas, while the Riku Replica was much like Riku around the Hollow Bastion world in the original Kingdom Hearts.

i dont know, Nomura is a psyco we all know that he says she won’t return yet in coded were told she for some reason has to be saved… saved doesnt necessarily mean gain a heart but you cant save something that is forgotten :/

I respect the fact that you like Xion. A lot people seem to. But the reality is that some characters were just meant for their one time purpose. For instance, Roxas. He cannot fully exist because he must either be part of Sora or Ventus (when the time comes). Xion is never mentioned or even acknowledge ever by anyone except in the 358/2 days game. She was a Plan B to their Plan A: If Roxas and Sora couldn’t be used, they would use Xion. Her identity is based off of her taking on Sora’s memories. If people love her and want her back so much, then Tetsuya might as well bring back the Riku replica. He seemed to want to exist more then Xion. If everyone is telling Xion her purpose, and she accepts her purpose, then why do you guys want her back so bad? Why can’t some of you understand that she’s gone. Roxas doesn’t even remember her. He was already forgetting her by the end of 358/2 days. I know that a lot of you look at the secret ending of Birth by Sleep and Re:Coded as a sign she will return, but all it does it bring reference to how all these people are connected to Sora. He must help them all but not how they will be helped is not known. Seeing as how Sora has data placed inside him, maybe Xion’s data is in there as well, which would not reveal anything about her but more so about the Organization.

You said that Xemnas states to Roxas about Sora, “you look a lot like him.” Xemnas could have also meant Ventus. He never said Sora’s name. Since many believe that Xemnas had the mind and thoughts of Terra, it is heavily believed that he, like Xigbar, looked and Xion and saw Ventus and not Sora. He was searching for him in Castle Oblivion after all. I respect your thoughts though. And thank you for commenting and enjoying.

I really thought that they could use lexaus, larxene, Luxord and Xion, cause the look like the have ( or should i say had ) lots of potential in the story. all the org. members that weren’t ansem’s apprentices seems like some nobodies that could have past that go even further into the past of kingdom hearts, (like when yen sid was still a keblade master or something like that).

Roxas got a VERY huge circle of fans. And yes, I’m one of them. I never saw him as ”whiny”. He was just the first character who brought some tragic emotions in the story and I liked that dramatic feeling. Of course he’s different from Sora or Ventus… he got serious problems to deal with, so what are you expecting? Wouldn’t it be stupid to see him like a happy and grinning joker like his other personas? I’m glad he’s a bit more serious. That’s what the story needed at this point.

“But the reality is that some characters were just meant for their one time purpose.”

Hold on… How do you know that? I believe *nobody* except for Nomura himself knows what’s in his mind right now. I can’t imagine that he created such an interesting character like Xion (which she is – otherwise we wouldn’t talk about her) only for 358/2 Days - and much less now that Nomura has to plan and prepare a bigger story for KH3. To the date, I can’t remember any KH-character who only had a “one time purpose” as you call it. That’s obviously not the way Nomura is thinking.

“If everyone is telling Xion her purpose, and she accepts her purpose, then why do you guys want her back so bad?”

Come on… That’s not really an argument against her return. It’s not like she’s satisfied with her purpose. She had a choice to survive and offer Roxas – or to offer herself, save Roxas and let Sora awaken. So she decided “what’s the best for everyone”. Do you seriously believe that she’s happy with that, and her fans should be too?

“Why can’t some of you understand that she’s gone.”

…We do. Well, I do. But that doesn’t mean that she won’t have a purpose again for the whole future story. Remember Maleficent, Ansem the wise, Xehanort’s heartless, nearly every single Disney-villain, Sora himself… all these are characters who have gone through some kind of “death”. But that hasn’t stopped them from regaining their role in the story. Even Goofy was once believed to being dead for a short time. XD

So being “gone” isn’t an obstacle for a return in the story.

“Roxas doesn’t even remember her.”

But he should now that he has joined Sora. What were Xions legendary last words? “The memories of you and me will always be together, forever, inside him.” Again… I can’t imagine Nomura hasn’t one of his big thoughts by formulating this phrase.

“I know that a lot of you look at the secret ending of Birth by Sleep and Re:Coded as a sign she will return, but all it does it bring reference to how all these people are connected to Sora. He must help them all but not how they will be helped is not known.”

Exactly! It is not known. But if you ask me, it’s just obviously that Xion along with the others will play a bigger part in this upcoming story. Mickey said in Re:coded’s secret ending that he located Ventus heart and so, the only one left to find would be Terra. So it seems like they are currently looking for these hurted people, which means, they all will have a greater role in the story.

But hey, we’ll find out soon enough. I’m just saying these points of your analysis doesn’t really make sense to me.

I liked Xion until I found out what she was. An clone. Why do people believe that Kh should be littered with clones? Are they supposed to be more powerful than the oringal? If Xion wasn’t a clone and a real person I might of liked her alot better. She chose her path and there is no way that she can return unless Noruma does some crazy thing to make it happen.

Roxas has a reason to come back and so do the other members. We ned to know about thier past and how they became nobodies We know less about their somebodies except a few of their names. But they all need to be addressed to finish up the plotholes in the Kingdom Hearts universe.

If they have Axel return maybe they can him completely separated from Roxas and Sora characters. I don’t like him being their shadows. Fire and water must have a reason why they seem to avoid each other.

You liked her, until you found out that she was artificialy made? I’m sorry but…. Man, that’s awful! Is that all you care about? If you wouldn’t have liked her from the beginning… okay! But with the only reason that she wasn’t born in the regular way… That’s so not comprehensible for me.

Just to tell you:
-KH was never “littered with clones”. The only clones (well, Replicas, to describe them correctly) are Xion and the Riku-Replica and both had the same origin.
-It is most obviously that Xion will return or atleast have a purpose in future games.
-How comes that Roxas’ has a reason to come back, rather than Xion? He got no plothole. We know about his past and how he became a nobody. I don’t say, he won’t come back, but he doesn’t have a greater reason than Xion.

i think xigbar and xaldin are dicks. fuck any one who thinks roxas is a whiny brat. Roxas and Axel are best characters(to me ). I agree with Hor’Yu that roxas has a huge fanbase and everything else she/he said

I’m just wondering if you were to be in his shoes; say something, your identity erased, your mom saying you should never exist and people who you thought were there for you by giving you shelter and all that…okay you get the jazz…How would you react? If you can still be all glitters and rainbows. I salute you. But that’s highly unlikely obviously.
Roxas has his reasons and the way he reacted wasn’t that bratty. He’s just being human. Well,kinda. (Now don’t argue with me about him being a Nobody!). Also, I would beg to differ to those who keep saying Roxas is the more arrogant, self-centered, immature half than Sora: Please review your opinions about him again. From what I see, he is the more mature, peaceful type and he doesn’t brag about his accomplishment nor provoke his enemies, unlike how Sora likes to do as seen in KH2.